Summer Festival
by Mlle Rose
Summary: It was the summer festival; for the next week the whole village would celebrate the coming of the summer months with open arms and smiling faces. It is the perfect place for romance to bloom beneath the lanters and amidst the music. Kiba & Hinata


A quick word from the author: Think you recognize this story? Well, it may be because I had it posted on another account. Why get an entirely new account you might wonder, well, think of it as starting fresh. I hope that in any case you, reader thus far unknown, enjoy this story. I'd love to hear what you have to say, also, if you happen to have a minute. Thank you very much for showing some interest, and without further ado I present (a newly, minorly edited) :

**"Summer Festival"**

It was dark, the moon already bright in the sky, but the streets were alive with the lively chatter of nearly the entire population of Konoha. It was the summer festival; for the next week the whole village would celebrate the coming of the summer months with open arms and smiling faces. There were lanterns hung which shone brightly amidst the many streamers and banners placed along the packed streets. There were tons of stalls: some served food, some sold small trinkets or other materialistic things while others were games where mainly younger children would crowd with the parents talking amiably. They watched the excited children giggle and squeal with delight when they won a prize. The older youth of the village also took this time to enjoy the festival, often in groups, talking and laughing loudly over the other voices, noises and music.

This was the first night, and most of the shinobi of Konoha were taking the chance to enjoy the festival before anything came up. The majority of the jounin were still in their uniforms, not bothering to change out of them just in case; a few chunnin even joined in the decision to remain prepared, although for the most part they were dressed for an evening of fun. Girls wore pretty yukatas (or even kimono if they wished) with their hair done up with ribbons, flowers or other pleasant things and the boys wore their own yukatas, if they had bothered, or had been convinced to. Such was the case for a certain brown haired, brown eyed chunnin as he walked along-side his teammates, his dog padding happily by his side.

"Hey, isn't that Ino?" Kiba said as he squinted ahead. His eyes went wide when he recognized Shikamaru in his usual uniform, standing lazily beside the beautiful girl who was currently bent over, examining some trinkets.

"It is," Hinata said happily, oblivious to the fact that Kiba had stopped walking. She quickly did notice the lack of a presence beside her and both she and Shino stopped walking to look at Kiba.

"He's not wearing one!" Kiba pointed a furious finger at Shikamaru. A few people looked at him warily as they passed.

"Pardon?" Shino had a special get-up that was formal enough, but hid his face at the same time, and looked through his glasses with a raised brow. Kiba glared.

"Shikamaru is out with _Ino_ and he isn't in one of," Kiba motioned to the rather plain Yukata he was wearing, "_these_." He made the mistake of looking at Hinata, who had a delicate frown on her lips.

"But you look so handsome, Kiba…" Kiba turned his face to hide the light blush that came to his cheeks.

"I still-" Hinata placed a hand on his arm and smiled pleasantly at Kiba. Her hair had been left down, but some of it had been pulled away from the right side of her face, where a flowery clip held the silky strands in place. She wore no make-up except for the small amount of lip gloss she'd applied to her lips, which had turned them a light shade of pink.

Kiba continued to blush, but he rolled his eyes and stood straight and regained himself. When the blush had faded enough, he looked down at Hinata. "I'm still not happy wearing this." The Hyuuga heiress did not seem too upset over this.

"Oi!" All three of team eight turned to smile at the pair approaching them. Sakura wore her hair as she always did, sans headband, and the yukata she wore was white, with a wave of pink cherry blossom petals near the bottom. The obi matched the pink of the petals, which coincidently matched her hair. Naruto wore only a simple blue yukata with a black obi. He was waving excitedly at the group and Sakura simply smiled.

"Good evening, Naruto, Sakura." Hinata greeted softly.

"Good evening Hinata," Sakura eyed Hinata a bit and her expression softened, "you look very beautiful tonight." Hinata blushed bright. It was true that she wore a kimono but it wasn't the most extravagant outfit, despite the fact that the deep, lush purple colour was accompanied by curled embroidery at the edges.

"Oh! You're right, Sakura!" Naruto was a little less subtle in his examination of the blushing girl, which only caused her blush to intensify.

"Oi, Naruto," Kiba growled a bit and Naruto turned to Kiba with a goofy grin.

"Sorry, Kiba, how're you doing?" Having completely misunderstood the source of Kiba's agitation, Naruto struck up a conversation with the Inuzuka.

"You look lovely tonight as well, Sakura." Hinata was still blushing and her voice was very quiet, but she did not stutter which made her proud. Sakura blushed a bit as she fiddled with the strap of her small purse.

"Thank you, Hinata." Sakura then turned to Shino with a small smile, "I'm sorry, it's good to see you, Shino." Shino nodded his head to Sakura.

"You as well, Sakura." The group began to move together, the girls chatting and the boys (with the obvious exception of Shino) doing so as well. Shino was happy to simply listen and enjoy the night. They moved easily through the busy streets, all smiling and enjoying themselves; Naruto and Kiba often got pulled to the side, attracted by the smells of various different foods being prepared by grinning people, while Hinata and Sakura would look at small, pretty trinkets and jewelry, sometimes they even looked at the stuffed animals being displayed by the owners of game stalls.

"Hinata?" Hinata looked up at Shino with a small smile and a blush. She had been staring at one particular toy; a cute little stuffed dog. It was brown and white and resembled the pup Akamaru had once been.

"It makes me think of Akamaru when he was little," Hinata giggled a bit as she patted the large dog on the head affectionately. Kiba had heard that last bit and he turned his head from the cookies he'd been sniffing to look at Hinata. His heart swelled in his chest at the sight of her slight blush and the way she treated his loyal friend. His eyes traveled to the toys and he was able to spot the Akamaru look-alike immediately, that was when he looked to what the game really was.

"I'd like to try," Shino said as he placed a few coins on the counter.

The owner nodded with a wide grin. "Of course," Shino took the three small rings and was about to toss one when Kiba popped up behind both his teammates and draped an arm around both of their shoulders.

"I didn't know you liked stuffed animals, Shino." Kiba grinned his signature grin and Shino rolled his eyes behind the dark glasses he wore.

"K-Kiba!" Hinata said in surprise and Kiba turned his eyes to her, suddenly becoming aware of the close proximity. He cursed how it had become almost awkward for him lately, every time he realized how _close_ he was to her. Her scent was light, but he could pick it out anywhere, anytime, which made the fact that it filled his nostrils even worse.

"Oh, sorry Hinata! Didn't mean to scare ya." Kiba chuckled.

Hinata smiled up at him, "no, don't worry."

Shino removed Kiba's arm from his shoulder, "If you don't mind," Shino said.

"Bet'cha can't do it." The young Inuzuka challeneged playfully.

"Kiba," Hinata scolded although she was smiling.

Kiba took advantage of the moment and pulled Hinata close, squeezing her a bit in a playful half hug "Sorry, Hinat_a_." he carried out the 'a' and Hinata giggled as she swatted Kiba away.

"Here, Hinata." Both Hinata and Kiba were surprised at how quickly Shino had won the game.

"Maybe we ninja shouldn't be allowed to play these games." Kiba commented, as he watched Hinata take the small toy and cuddle it to her chest.

"Speaking of ninja, what happened to Naruto and Sakura?" The group looked around and was puzzled at the absence of their comrades.

"That's odd," Kiba mused when he suddenly felt a shiver run down his spine at the feeling of eyes tearing into him. He turned slowly and spotted Neji Hyuuga a little ways off, his eyes narrowed into an icy glare.

"Hinata, I think your cousin's trying to kill me with his mind." Hinata and Shino both turned to look down the street and spotted the glaring Hyuuga, who was looking rather irritated. Lee could just be spotted with Gai at a stall; Tenten was standing back, watching her teammate and sensei cautiously.

"Oh dear," Hinata muttered softly, looking more perplexed than concerned, "I wonder if he's just in a bad mood." She smiled at Neji and waved her hand a bit. The other Hyuuga did not seem to respond. "I think he's having a bad night," Hinata said with a frown.

"Really?" Kiba raised his brow at Hinata and she shrugged at him, which reminded Kiba that his arm was still placed over her shoulders. He turned his gaze to Neji, then to his arm, then back again. He slowly removed his arm and made a small wave as he grinned nervously. Neji cocked his eyebrow a bit, but turned away.

"Is something wrong, Kiba?" Kiba looked down at Hinata who was frowning at him, a worried look in her eyes. He grinned and shook his head.

"What made you think that, Hinata?" The way she was staring into his eyes was too intense for him, and as he looked into the milky depths he remembered the power of the Hyuuga eyes. He placed a hand gently on her shoulder and smiled gently, "You worry too much, Hyuuga Princess."

Hinata blushed furiously and she brought her free hand up to her face, trying to hide, "P-p-princess?!" Kiba barked out a laugh; his plan had worked. He looked over at Shino, who, to his surprise, seemed to be looking at Hinata with a gentle gaze (so far as Kiba could tell from the young man's eyebrows).

"Shall we keep walking?" Shino offered and the other two nodded. The team traveled only a short distance until Sakura and Ino appeared almost out of nowhere and made Hinata's eyes widen with shock and she almost dropped the stuffed dog.

"We've been looking for you!" Ino declared, the girls not seeming to notice Hinata's reaction. Ino was clad in a sea-themed yukata: the blues and greens mixing together with a few swirls stitched into the fabric in the shape of waves. As always, she looked stunning.

"M-me?" Hinata was still recovering from the shock she'd received. Kiba and Shino eyed the girls who seemed to be extremely happy.

"Yes, you! C'mon!" Sakura smiled as she took hold of Hinata's free hand and Ino linked her arm with the one which Hinata used to hold the stuffed dog.

"I hope you guys don't mind our taking her away," Ino called over her shoulder, winking at the boys before the three girls disappeared.

Kiba's jaw was slack, "What just happened?" He looked at Shino, flabbergasted.

"It appears that Hinata has just been taken away by Sakura and Ino," Shino stated.

"I _know_ she was taken away by them!" Kiba threw his arms in the air and groaned. He did not notice the way Shino's face muscles twitched to form a smirk.

"There're my boys!" The two perked up and turned around to see Kurenai coming up to them. Team Eight was closing in on its last months together, but that only made their bonds stronger.

"Hey Sensei!" Kiba called and he waved enthusiastically. Akamaru barked loudly and went to greet the young teacher. She chuckled and ruffled the dog's ears a bit before they both united with Shino and Kiba.

"How're you guys enjoying the night?" She was dressed as she always did. As a jounin, she could be called off at any minute.

"We're having a ball!" Akamaru perked at the mention of 'ball', but quickly slumped when he realized Kiba had not meant it in a literal way.

"The night is warm and the bugs are calm; it's good to be out." Shino was less enthusiastic in his declaration, but there was a hint of pure joy that made all members present smile.

"I'm glad to hear." Kurenai's smile was nearly motherly; she'd grown to love her group as if they were her own. She then noticed the empty space between the boys and her eyebrows drew together in puzzlement, "Where's Hinata?" Kiba nearly rolled his eyes while Shino explained that the girl had been stolen away by Sakura and Ino. Kurenai laughed and patted both boys on the shoulder. "Poor girl, well I'm sure she'll be fine, but maybe you should go looking for her, just in case." She then waved and parted from her students, again leaving them alone in the festival.

Kiba stretched and sighed, "D'you think we should go find her now?" he asked and Shino looked Kiba in the eye.

"Probably," Kiba grinned and both boys went on their way.

It did not take long for the boys to be ambushed by a grinning Naruto and Sai. "Hey Guys!" Naruto exclaimed loudly.

"Hello," Sai greeted, his smile never wavering.

"Naruto!" Kiba smiled. Perhaps they knew where to find Hinata. "Have you seen Hinata anywhere?"

Naruto bit his lip and closed his eyes while Sai simply continued to smile at the members of Team Eight. After a long moment of silence Naruto managed a great shrug, "I think I saw her with Sakura and Ino not too long ago," he stated, turning to the side to look down the way he'd come. "They were all headed that way, towards the square." Naruto was pointing down the busy street as he spoke.

"The square?" Kiba pursed his lips as he tried to think of why they'd go there.

"Thank you, Naruto," Shino bowed ever so slightly and Naruto grinned.

"Naw, you don't have to bow Shino, it was nothing."

"You did just tell them where their teammate was." Sai commented and Naruto's shoulder's drooped. He swung an arm over Sai's shoulders and turned around, whispering into the pale man's ear before they turned back to the others.

"Well, I guess we'll see you guys later." Naruto waved as did Sai, his expression contemplative, and the two wandered off.

"Okay, now we know which way to go." Kiba said with a smile, heading down the street.

"Tell me," Shino spoke after a short silence, "why did you not ask Akamaru to find Hinata?"

Kiba wrinkled his nose, "her scent is faint enough as it is; with all these people - whom she's probably bumping into - and the scents of all the different foods cooking, it's not easy to locate it." Akamaru snorted, his head nodding in the process. Had the two been working extra hard, they may have been able to follow a trail, but it was a festival, so why waste all that energy?

"I see," Shino said slowly and Kiba rolled his eyes.

"Why didn't you use your bugs?" Shino simply looked at Kiba, his eyebrows raised in speculation. "I prove my point." Kiba flashed a grin before turning to look ahead again. They would be at the square soon.

The two boys walked in a peaceful silence. When they rounded the corner to get to the square, they both stopped in their tracks. They couldn't believe the number of people all gathered there; they couldn't even see what they were all looking at, although the music seemed to be its loudest at the center.

"D'you think it's the band or something, Shino?" Kiba asked, raising his voice so he could be heard over the crowd, but he received no answer. "Shino?" he looked to his right and was shocked to see that his teammate was missing. "Akamaru," Kiba looked down at his faithful friend, "what happened to Shino?" Akamaru gave a short whimper and Kiba furrowed his brow.

_Great, now I've gotta find Hinata _and _Shino._ Kiba sighed and ruffled his hair a bit before going through the crowd, even trying to catch a whiff of either of his friends. After a couple of minutes, Kiba felt more alone than usual. When he looked down, Akamaru was nowhere to be seen.

"Akamaru?" Kiba looked around before he crossed his arms and sighed; not even his dog could get through the crowd without getting lost. Kiba began to wander aimlessly through all the people, keeping a close eye out for any familiar faces or clothing. He was about to give up when he suddenly found himself at the inner most ring and his eyes widened. In the very centre was a band playing joyously, and all around them people were dancing. He couldn't help but smile as he watched all the other smiling people; it was no wonder there were so many people here.

The dancers twirled, stepped and laughed, moving in a steady circle around the band. Kiba was shocked when he spotted Hinata blushing madly as she smiled and danced with Naruto. How had the idiot gotten there so quickly? Hadn't he seen the boy only a couple of minutes ago? Kiba stood and fumed silently as he watched Naruto dance with Hinata. It was then that he spotted Sakura reach the inner circle close to where the two were and Naruto switched Hinata with Sakura.

_That player…_ Kiba rolled his eyes and decided to go retrieve Hinata. He pushed his way through the crowd; despite the fact that he nearly lost his orientation a few times, Kiba finally managed to get behind Hinata, place his hands on her shoulders and bring his mouth to her ear.

"Found you," Hinata jumped at the sudden attack and twirled around to face Kiba. Kiba laughed as she lost her balance and began to tumble backwards; he took hold of her hands and began to pull her back to stability when he was bumped into her and he, too, went tumbling forwards.

"I'm sorry, Kiba!" Hinata exclaimed and Kiba shook his head with a large grin.

"For what, Hyuuga Princess?" Kiba grinned and brought Hinata closer, intent on putting his arm over her shoulders when he was interrupted.

"Dance, you fool!" Kiba became suddenly aware of the fact he was now within the circle of dancers with Hinata.

"Keep your pants on!" Kiba retorted, keeping his cool as best he could. He took a quick look at the other people who were dancing, but it was to his great surprise that Hinata fixed their stance and began to lead the dance.

"Sorry for dragging you into the dance," Hinata's voice could barely be heard over all the noise.

Kiba grinned and quickly took control of the situation, "Don't worry about it, we were both caught off guard. It's kinda refreshing." Hinata chuckled which caused Kiba to do so as well. The two moved around the circle in perfect sync, both of them couldn't help but smile as they moved. Time passed, songs changed, people entered and exited the circle but none of it registered in Kiba's mind.

Hinata finally leaned heavily onto Kiba and chuckled a bit, "Where do you get all you're energy, Kiba?"

"Oh! I'm sorry Hinata!" Kiba lead them to the edge of the circle and began to pull Hinata through the crowd. "Why didn't you say something earlier?"

"You looked like you were having so much fun; I couldn't bring myself to stop you." Hinata laughed softly as Kiba finally got them to the back of the crowd. She was smiling happily at Kiba; it was a rare and beautiful smile Kiba had only seen once or twice since he'd first met Hinata. "I, too, was having a lot of fun." Hinata confessed with a light blush.

"You," Kiba started softly, but he stopped and sighed with a smile. He ruffled her hair a bit, "let's go get something to drink." Kiba turned to lead the way and Hinata followed close behind, their hands still linked together.

* * *

Do I even need to say it?

**Disclaimer:** I do not own _Naruto_, I do not own any of the characters or settings; all credit goes to Kishimoto Masashi. I won't be making any profit from this fanfiction.


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